Device control

The features in this guide describe device management capabilities you can
implement in your device policy controller (DPC)
app. You can also use the Test
DPC app as a
source of sample code for Android's enterprise features.

A DPC app can run in profile owner mode on personal devices or in device owner
mode on fully managed devices. This table indicates which features are
available when the DPC runs in profile owner mode or device owner
mode:

Create a custom lock screen message

Running in device owner mode, a DPC can create a custom lock screen message on
their users’ devices using the
setDeviceOwnerLockScreenInfo
method. This message displays on the device screen when locked, and is useful
for a lost or stolen device. A common message is “This phone belongs to
<company name>, call <phone number> if found.”

Disable data roaming

Data roaming can cause significant charges on mobile carrier bills. To help
streamline those costs, a DPC running in device owner mode can disable
data roaming by setting the DISALLOW_DATA
ROAMING
restriction. Once the user restriction is set by the DPC, a user can’t change
data roaming via Settings on their device.

Give users a customized message if a setting is blocked

When a user clicks a setting or feature blocked by their IT department, the
support message gives a brief explanation of why they can’t access the feature.

Lock down the wallpaper

Organizations such as schools or companies that run Android devices as shared
devices can block their users from changing the wallpaper on their device home
screen.

To lock down the wallpaper, a DPC running in device owner or profile owner
mode can set
DISALLOW_SET_WALLPAPER
to true. The default for this setting is
false.

Lock down a customer user icon

A DPC running in either device owner or profile owner mode can add users and
specify an icon for each user. This user icon is only on the device and is
separate from the profile icon that appears in other Google properties, such as
a Gmail message or Google Plus profile.

A DPC can configure the
DISALLOW_SET_USER_ICON
to true to restrict a user from changing their icon. The
default for this setting is false.

Remotely monitor device health and status

A DPC running in device owner or profile owner mode can monitor unattended
devices running in a remote location, such as digital signage displays or kiosks
run off of Android devices. To do this, a DPC uses the
HardwarePropertiesManager
interface to get information about device health, such as GPU temperatures and
CPU usage. This is useful to diagnose issues with devices that automatically
turn off because of overheating or other issues.

Remotely reboot an Android device

A DPC can remotely reboot Android devices only when it runs in device owner
mode. In some cases, devices deployed in public places inside enclosures or as
digital signage displays can prevent easy access to the power button. If a
device needs to be rebooted, a DPC can do so using the
DevicePolicyManager.reboot()
method.

A device doesn’t reboot if there’s an ongoing call. The device needs to be
in an idle state to reboot. This is to prevent an admin interrupting a user’s
phone call with a reboot request. If the device is active, it throws an
IllegalStateException until
CALL_STATE_IDLE.

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